20.45 Lakhdar Brahimi, the former United Nations and Arab League
special envoy to Syria, has joined the backlash against Tony Blair's
insistence that the 2003 invasion had in no way led to the current crisis in
Iraq.
Asked if Isis was a "direct product" of the Iraq War, Mr Brahimi told Channel
4 News: "I think so, yes, sure. The regime of Saddam Hussein was very bad
indeed but it certainly did not create any space for any kind of terrorist
organisation, especially not al Qaida. Contrary to what I think both
president Bush and prime minister Blair said."
He said Iraq was "absolutely" less safe now than in 2003 when "it was the
republic of fear, but it was quite safe - if you did not meddle in politics
nobody would bother you".
19.24 Analysts and locals say that Isis could not have made its gains without alliances with other anti-government groups and popular support, as reported by our Middle East Correspondent, Richard Spencer. And in Mosul today, residents have been gathering at the provincial government headquarters, waving the black flag of the Sunni Islamist movement and chanting pro-Isis slogans.
Pro-Isis demonstrators in Mosul
18.33 Telegraph footage of William Hague speaking in the Commons, where he said a significant number o
Iraqi Shiite tribesmen brandish their weapons as they gather to show
their readiness to join Iraqi security forces in the fight against ISIS
(PHOTO: AFP)
18.11 Marc A Thiessen, writing in the Washington Post, says this is a mess of President Obama’s making:
In 2011, the situation in Iraq was so good that the Obama administration was
actually trying to take credit for it, with Vice President Joe Biden
declaring that Iraq “could be one of the great achievements of this
administration.”
Now in 2014, as Iraq descends into chaos, Democrats are trying to blame the fiasco on — you guessed it — George W. Bush. “I don’t think this is our responsibility,” said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, declaring that the unfolding disaster in Iraq “represents the failed policies that took us down this path 10 years ago.”
18.09 Evidence shows that the Islamic militants who massacred scores of captured Iraqi soldiers "almost certainly" committed war crimes, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay has said.
Pillay condemned what she called the reported "cold-blooded executions of hundreds of Iraqi hors de combat soldiers, as well as civilians including religious leaders and people associated with the government" in recent days by forces allied with the Isis.
17.34 The United nations has re-located 58 staff from Baghdad to Jordan, a spokesman has told Reuters, adding that more staff may follow in the coming days.
17.20 Here are the key quotes from William Hague's statement to the Commons:
I spoke to the foreign minister of Iran on Saturday about a number of matters,
including the situation in Iraq.
He said there is a case for further steps forward in our bilateral relations... I will have something more to say about that imminently - very imminently if you are here tomorrow...
Covert cooperation is not something I will speculate about... but of course those common interests are there with Iran in the stability of the entire region. That is very clear.
Iraqi policemen search men at a checkpoint on the borders between
Karbala city and Ramadi city, south Iraq (PHOTO: EPA)
16.56 US officials may hold discussions with Iran about Iraq's security crisis on the sidelines of nuclear talks this week, but Washington will not coordinate potential military action in Iraq with its longtime adversary Tehran, the Pentagon has said.
Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said, referring to talks in Vienna this week between world powers and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme:
It's possible that on the sidelines of those discussions there could be
discussions surrounding the situation in Iraq.
But there is absolutely no intention and no plan to coordinate military activity between the United States and Iran ... there are no plans to have consultations with Iran about military activities in Iraq.
16.52 James Brokenshire, the security minister, has announced that Isis will become a "proscribed group" under the Terrorism Act 2000.
The legislation allows terrorist groups to be banned, meaning that membership of Isis, as well as promoting or fundraising on its behalf, will become a criminal offence carrying up to 10 years' imprisonment.
The move is expected to become law quickly under secondary legislation, once it has been debated in both Houses of Parliament - due to be later this week.
Home Office sources said the proscription of Isis had been on the cards for some time and was not necessarily linked with recent events in Iraq.
Foreign Secretary William Hague gives a statement in the House of
Commons about the crisis in Iraq (PHOTO: PA)
16.40 The BBC's Nick Robinson tweets:
15.57 Western intelligence has been caught unawares at the scale of threat to Iraqi government as ISIS grew from a guerrilla band to a national force.
One reason for this is that despite warnings, no-one seems to have appreciated the dangers posed by the new alliance between ISIS, seen as a threatening but medium-sized guerrilla organisation, and the Naqshabandi Army, an underground network of remnants of the former Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein.
19.24 Analysts and locals say that Isis could not have made its gains without alliances with other anti-government groups and popular support, as reported by our Middle East Correspondent, Richard Spencer. And in Mosul today, residents have been gathering at the provincial government headquarters, waving the black flag of the Sunni Islamist movement and chanting pro-Isis slogans.
Pro-Isis demonstrators in Mosul
18.33 Telegraph footage of William Hague speaking in the Commons, where he said a significant number o
Iraqi Shiite tribesmen brandish their weapons as they gather to show
their readiness to join Iraqi security forces in the fight against ISIS
(PHOTO: AFP)
18.11 Marc A Thiessen, writing in the Washington Post, says this is a mess of President Obama’s making:
In 2011, the situation in Iraq was so good that the Obama administration was
actually trying to take credit for it, with Vice President Joe Biden
declaring that Iraq “could be one of the great achievements of this
administration.”
Now in 2014, as Iraq descends into chaos, Democrats are trying to blame the fiasco on — you guessed it — George W. Bush. “I don’t think this is our responsibility,” said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, declaring that the unfolding disaster in Iraq “represents the failed policies that took us down this path 10 years ago.”
18.09 Evidence shows that the Islamic militants who massacred scores of captured Iraqi soldiers "almost certainly" committed war crimes, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay has said.
Pillay condemned what she called the reported "cold-blooded executions of hundreds of Iraqi hors de combat soldiers, as well as civilians including religious leaders and people associated with the government" in recent days by forces allied with the Isis.
17.34 The United nations has re-located 58 staff from Baghdad to Jordan, a spokesman has told Reuters, adding that more staff may follow in the coming days.
17.20 Here are the key quotes from William Hague's statement to the Commons:
I spoke to the foreign minister of Iran on Saturday about a number of matters,
including the situation in Iraq.
He said there is a case for further steps forward in our bilateral relations... I will have something more to say about that imminently - very imminently if you are here tomorrow...
Covert cooperation is not something I will speculate about... but of course those common interests are there with Iran in the stability of the entire region. That is very clear.
Iraqi policemen search men at a checkpoint on the borders between
Karbala city and Ramadi city, south Iraq (PHOTO: EPA)
16.56 US officials may hold discussions with Iran about Iraq's security crisis on the sidelines of nuclear talks this week, but Washington will not coordinate potential military action in Iraq with its longtime adversary Tehran, the Pentagon has said.
Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said, referring to talks in Vienna this week between world powers and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme:
It's possible that on the sidelines of those discussions there could be
discussions surrounding the situation in Iraq.
But there is absolutely no intention and no plan to coordinate military activity between the United States and Iran ... there are no plans to have consultations with Iran about military activities in Iraq.
16.52 James Brokenshire, the security minister, has announced that Isis will become a "proscribed group" under the Terrorism Act 2000.
The legislation allows terrorist groups to be banned, meaning that membership of Isis, as well as promoting or fundraising on its behalf, will become a criminal offence carrying up to 10 years' imprisonment.
The move is expected to become law quickly under secondary legislation, once it has been debated in both Houses of Parliament - due to be later this week.
Home Office sources said the proscription of Isis had been on the cards for some time and was not necessarily linked with recent events in Iraq.
Foreign Secretary William Hague gives a statement in the House of
Commons about the crisis in Iraq (PHOTO: PA)
16.40 The BBC's Nick Robinson tweets:
15.57 Western intelligence has been caught unawares at the scale of threat to Iraqi government as ISIS grew from a guerrilla band to a national force.
One reason for this is that despite warnings, no-one seems to have appreciated the dangers posed by the new alliance between ISIS, seen as a threatening but medium-sized guerrilla organisation, and the Naqshabandi Army, an underground network of remnants of the former Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein.
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